Monday, March 29, 2004
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day eighteen, week three
I'm kind of lucky, I had my "initial breakout" this week but I was in socal with my parents instead of at work and at school and stuff. But then again, I had major hamburger face for my spring break! BOO! More details later. In Laguna Beach it was a lot more humid than what I'm used to in Utah, I think that really helped with dry skin and everything. Here's the rundown...
current medications/supplements:
- accutane 40mg
- Augmentin
- generic Ibuprophen + generic Naproxen sodium (800mg total)
- Yasmin birth control (still hate the stuff.)
- iron
- vitamin e
- perscription-strength cortizone cream (can't remember the name)
current products:
- Visine Original and Visine for contacts (for dry, irritated eyes)
- St. Ives 24-hour lotion
- cetaphil moisturizing lotion
- cetaphil face wash (left my neutrogena in Cali)
- blistex lip balm
- lots of water
current symptoms:
- severe initial breakout!
- back pain
- red, blotchy, sensitive skin
- dry, itchy scalp
- dry, irritated eyes
- very dry hands, feet, and lips
- constant dehydration
WEEK THREE REPORT: I'd heard all about it, but now I'm living the nightmare... it's the INITIAL BREAKOUT!! (dun dun dun...) It's definitely the worst breakout I've ever had, makeup is almost futile. I look like a friggin' burn victim! But it's ok, it's to be expected. And it makes all the other symptoms seem a lot easier to deal with. My skin isn't as dry anymore, thanks to lots of lotion and lip balm. Still no depression or excessive anxiety... I did spend a lot of time in airports this week, and that always makes me anxious. But other than that, still no psychological side-effects. And no hair loss yet either. I'm considering dropping the Yasmin birth control to see what that does for my breakouts, maybe seeing a general practitioner for something different.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
- stay away from Yasmin birth control! there are lots of other options out there, see a GP or an OBGYN for something that won't turn you into a hormonal psychopath or worsen your breakouts.
- for painful, inflamed acne, use the strongest cortizone cream you can find. I've also heard that Neosporin cream (not ointment!) works wonders.
- for itchy, flaky skin that breaks and bleeds, stay away from heavily scented lotion (curse you, Victoria's Secret!!)... seriously, it stings like a mofo.
- for backaches and headaches, use anti-inflammatories like ibuprophin (Advil) or naproxin sodium (Aleve). I use a combination of the two. In some cases, this can help with inflamed acne too.
- some fashion advice... if you're red and blotchy, stay away from shirts that have a lot of pink and red in them. They make you look like a lobster. Blues and greens are better. It REALLY does make a difference.
- warning: do not pick your zits! or the flaky chunks of skin that come after them... your face WILL bleed, and that's even uglier than acne is. I know some of us can't help it, but try really hard to avoid it.
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Friday, March 19, 2004
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day nine, week two
current medications/supplements:
- accutane 40mg
- Augmentin (anti-bacterial for acne flare-ups)
- Yasmin birth control (seriously considered ditching the stuff, but honesty prevailed... crapdangit.)
- iron
- vitamin e
current products:
- St. Ives 24-hour lotion (this stuff ROCKS)
- cetaphil moisturizing lotion
- blistex lip balm (my favorite)
- lots of water
current symptoms:
- very dry hands, feet, and lips
- patches of chafed, flaky skin where my clothes rub
- lots of blisters from shoes
- constant dehydration
- dry, irritated eyes
- sunburn!
WEEK TWO REPORT: Went out and bought Swiss Ives 24-hour lotion after getting a sample in the mail the same day random patches of skin started cracking and flaking... gross! The best part is, it doesn't have all the perfume and alcohol in it that stings broken skin. As for my acne, it's slowly going away but is VERY painful and irritated. My face is actually not too dry thanks to Cetaphil, sometimes it even borders on the oily side, which is a welcome change for me. No anxiety or depression (yay!), no hair loss.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
stay away from: - too much salty or sugary food
- direct sunlight (especially if you're naturally fair)
- chlorine
stock up on: - bottled water
- bandaids
- lip balm (if you tend to lose track of it)
- lotion
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Monday, March 15, 2004
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day five, week one
MINI-UPDATE:
Started taking half an Augmentin (anti-bacterial for acne) twice a day (self-perscribed from an old perscription, don't try it at home) just to tide me over until my dermotologist can call in a new perscription for me. It should help with the pre-accutane breakout that just won't go away!
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Friday, March 12, 2004
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Intro - meet the guinea pig
To start off, my name is Allisan and I've had acne for almost 10 years now. It didn't get bad until a couple of years ago, though, so I'm only recently turning to Accutane. I'm deciding to keep a journal of my results because I read the journal of a girl named Jackie who was generally very optimistic about the therapy and its results and it got me very excited to try it. I am, however, a fairly hard-core cynic and am not expecting the stuff to work as well for me.
But here's hoping!!
So here's my method: I'm going to keep track of all of my symptoms, both physical and psychological. I think that, as someone who's prone to depression and anxiety, as well as overreacting to medication, I'll be a great model of the worst-case scenario. To anyone considering this therapy: it probably doesn't get any worse than what you'll read here!!
day two, week one
current medications/supplements:
- accutane 40mg (duh)
- Yasmin birth control (a.k.a. bitch pills... they make me grouchy)
- iron (for anemia)
- vitamin e (been taking for a few weeks to prep for dry skin)
current products:
- cetaphil moisturizing lotion (as recommended by Jackie)
- blistex lip balm (my favorite)
- lots of water!
current symptoms:
WEEK ONE REPORT: Sort of a "before" picture for you: Severe breakouts (it's the first day of my period), moderate anxiety. Minimal depression today. Since my skin is super sensitive and dry as it is, I've been hydrating and bulking up on vitamin e for a couple of weeks. Optimistic but skeptical! Took my very first pill with a virgin margarita to celebrate. They put you through hell to start this stuff! Pregnancy tests, blood tests, a million pages of crap to sign... and then the nurses at the dermo's office forgot to put a date on the perscription, and you can't call or fax Accutane perscriptions, so I had to walk ALL the way to the office and haul myself BACK to the pharmacy... so heck yeah, I get to celebrate my first pill!
RECOMMENDATIONS: - make sure they put a date on your Accutane sticker!!
- take that first dose with style! just not a frozen drink, it makes it hard to swallow the stupid thing.
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The Guinea Pig |
My name is Allisan, I'm a 21-year-old college student with very bad acne and a chip on my shoulder. I'm taking Accutane to kick the thing in the butt once and for all, and documenting the experience for the benefit of anyone else considering giving it a shot. Read on, fellow acne sufferers!!
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About Accutane |
In Laman's terms... Accutane limits the body's production a natural oil called Sebum that builds up in your pores and causes acne. Generally you spend 5 months on it, and most people see results within 2 months. It has a 75% success rate after the first round, 85% after 2 rounds - that means that the acne never, ever comes back for most people. During the course of the therapy, the most common side effects are dry flaky skin, chapped lips, dehydration, irritation while wearing contacts, and backaches. Basically it makes your body tissue really sensitive to EVERYTHING. Some people also experience moodiness and, in rare cases, severe depression. It also causes some nasty birth defects, so they make absolutely sure you can't get pregnant while you're on it.
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Products I Swear By |
- Mary Kay medium coverage foundation
- blistex original lip balm
- neosporin cream (not ointment)
- St. Ives 24-Hour body lotion
- Cetaphil moisturizer & face wash
- Generic vitamin e supplements
- Visine original eye drops
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Products I Swear *At* |
Blistex Complete Moisture lip balm - Jackie recommends it, but I disagree! It's really thin (heavy petroleum-based ointments are the best) and makes your breath smell funky.
Victoria's Secret lotion - Love the smell, but it stings like a mofo. Same goes for Bath&Body or any other heavily scented lotion, accutane makes your skin VERY sensitive to that kind of stuff.
Proactiv products - great for semi-problematic skin, but totally useless for severe acne. They *do* give your money back, so it *is* worth a try. But if you're serious about dealing with your acne, try something else.
erythromycin - if you get this, make sure they prescribe the capsules, not the tablets. This stuff is powerful, it can really upset your stomach.
Yasmin birth control - makes acne *worse*, turns you into a hormonal one-woman soap opera.
Chapstick brand lip balm - nothin but glorified ear wax. Buy the medicated stuff, folks.
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